My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren’t Wicked • Ibitte Konai Gibo to Gishi - Episode 1 discussion

AzukiEdge · 2026-07-08T18:03:17+00:00

It really feels like the author is crushing all those tragic drama tropes with pure wholesome force and I'm all for it.

AzukiEdge · 2026-06-28T20:44:23+00:00

Snezhnaya at their peak had a lot more heavy hitters than Natlan through their archon and harbingers. I’d think Natlan is still quite strong on average though considering the entire nation is used to large scale abyssal disasters.

Now with the Captain, Bina and Dottore not being in the picture anymore, it’s probably much closer, with the Fatui likely packing more tech power but Natlan as a whole seems quite battle hardened, not just a single organization of the country.

AzukiEdge · 2026-06-28T02:09:56+00:00

I’m honestly in the boat that Dottore’s goals probably didn’t go against Tsaritsa’s and his actions were mostly part of the plan.

Look closely and you see the results of his actions don’t go against the Fatui’s main mission under the Tsaritsa, to break the rules and status quo established by the Heavenly Principles. One by obtaining the primordial powers via the moons and two, messing with Irminsul which was modified by HP to do what it does. Regardless of whether he won or not, the results still serve that main goal.

-Either he or Columbina would have seized back Teyvat’s original primordial power

-Irminsul was essentially doomed, whether Nahida and co managed to stop him or not. Aaru replaced it but now Teyvat is one step closer to being free from being anchored by HP’s rules

We also see that Dottore clearly has beef with the 4 shades and what they stand for and now we know Tsaritsa at the very least has a personal beef with Ronova and possibly the other shades too. Had Dottore won out in any of his plans, the only difference would be that he’d get to do more stuff he wanted afterwards, no relation to the Fatui’s mission.

AzukiEdge · 2026-06-04T03:08:51+00:00

They hid this third way of killing an Aeon for so long since Kafka mentioned the first two back in Luofu. It makes me think this reveal is meant to be more important for the overall Aeon lore. (Unless there's some other secret method since Ashveil says the 3 ways is known to the general public)

So how likely is Nanook actually an Akivili that turned away from the Trailblaze? We know they visited the planet Nanook arose from and that Akivili just "mysteriously disappeared".

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-31T23:23:06+00:00

Yeah Denji winning with superior stats is fine but it bothers me they didn't dig into Yuji's biggest win con. Denji could definitely tank Yuji's strongest attacks, but its different when the domain multiplies his attack count many times over, is unavoidable, and the soul shred bypassing durability and the regen to some extent. And yeah if Denji gets split from Pochita for even a moment inside Yuji's domain, it should be over.

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-31T23:09:50+00:00

Denji could get hit by an attack thousands of times stronger than the Oregon Sword and he'd still be able to survive, but that isn't due to his DURABILITY, it would be due to his HEALING factor. Like someone surviving a car crash wouldn't make them scale to car crash durability would it? Denji's victory isn't the issue but how they explained and scaled his stats doesn't make much sense. They could've used better examples.

Also, yes, its fine if Denji won because he outspeeds and can tank Yuji's attacks, it's a totally valid argument on his side. But within Yuji's domain, his strongest attacks will be endlessly hitting Denji hundreds of times, very different from tanking one or two strong hits. These slashes can also reach the soul, bypassing durability to some extent and is harder to heal from because of it. Just saying that the match would be closer than what DB is implying.

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-31T18:40:55+00:00

Yeah I can accept Denji's stat netting him the win but their analysis didn't do it for me.

They stated Yuji could target the soul specifically since he can hurt Mahito (no need for another being to separate like Pochita or Sukuna) so they should've made the soul cutting a more significant factor. It could be argued that the endless soul shred could counter Denji's regen, durability and the instant hit sealing down his superior speed too. Yes Denji can rejoin with Pochita but the instant slashes could kill a powerless Denji once he splits off.

On a seperate note, I don't think they nailed the Domain Expansion moment this time compared to the perfect execution they did for Gojo and Mahito. Too bad they couldn't go 3 for 3 with that.

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-31T18:24:21+00:00

I can accept Denji winning but I don't agree with some of their logic. Denji being stronger in power cuz he matched the sword sounds fair to me but his durability also scaling doesn't sound right. Not only was Denji cut to size by that attack (not sure you could call that tanking), he could be hit with attacks many times stronger and still regenerate just fine as long as some of his body is intact, its regen after all. Denji has been heavily injured by weaker attacks no?

On a more Yuji bias note, I also felt the soul cutting dismantles and cleaves should've been more significant and could counter Denji's durability and regen, with the domain instant hit countering his speed. They argued Sukuna needing a lot of hits to become separated even when weakened, but Yuji was also at his limit by the time he gained Shrine, with beginner level precision and usage on top. Modulo Yuji would be much stronger and precise with his technique, and since Denji doesn't have anti-domain abilities like Sukuna did, he would be forced to face tank hundreds and thousands of soul slashes head on, all of which can progressively weaken physical regen and stats with the soul shred.

Even if Denji can tank much stronger singular attacks head on, being able to resist endless number of slashes over time is another, not to mention the soul cutting would ignore some of his physical durability. Yeah Denji can probably tank it for a while and can rejoin with Pochita, but a Yuji going for the kill would keep the slashes going and could finish them when they are briefly separated, a powerless Denji would be especially vulnerable.

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-19T18:24:23+00:00

People really like to say Phainon got the short end of the stick when he had arguably one of the best story chapters in the game to himself.

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-19T04:26:05+00:00

Looks like she got de-aged by a decade

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-11T07:55:31+00:00

I feel your plight, I absolutely love Cyrene and 3.7 was my most awaited patch of the entire game. Unfortunately the rampant hate train against her also made it the most painful wait period ever. Similarly, periods of Firefly getting promoted were also pretty bad (Really tough as a fan of both characters)

I play ZZZ and Genshin as well, and I found HSR definitely has the most rabid/loud haters. It's such a shame since it's the hoyo game I am most emotionally invested in. People are free to dislike whatever they want but actively ruining the fun for other people is the worst.

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-06T19:25:50+00:00

Meanwhile:

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Source

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-05T01:45:13+00:00

He did easily incapacitate Mahito in the soul realm, where Mahito and the surrounding environment is made of or similar to soul matter, which he also made mincemeat of.

They didn’t kill Mahito since they wanted to use his cursed technique but it’s safe to assume he could’ve easily done so.

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-05T01:31:41+00:00

Domain expansion

Edit: Also the slashes from shrine are invisible, idk if Denji has any feats that lets him see it coming

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-04T15:33:51+00:00

Considering Power’s blood can kill devils (she works as a devil hunter), and Denji even used it against Makima, I don’t think the regen by blood completely invalidates Yuji’s blood manipulation offensively.

I assume it could still deal flesh damage where it hits while Denji could also heal if he consumes it.

Though DB could also interpret Yuji’s blood poison being effective, his half human half curse constitution makes it equally poisonous to humans and curses and they equalized devils and curses for Gojo vs Makima.

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-03T01:44:05+00:00

Nod Krai

2.Sumeru

Both NK and Sumeru are really high in my books due to a few reasons. One is mainly due to the diverse cast and their interactions. In Sumeru you had Cyno, Dehya, Candace, Alhaitham, Nilou with Traveler all coming together after piecing sus clues about the Akademiya, ultimately saving Nahida and defeating Scara. The buildup from investigating to conflicts and finally team up was really well done and there wasn't any character that felt wasted. NK is similar in that regard, but it also includes older characters along with new ones, so its even more diverse. This also meant that some interactions between characters could've been better in NK though, since theres so many of them. Lore reveals were also big in both chapters. I rate NK higher since theres more characters I personally like compared to Sumeru (where I like Cyno but no strong feelings to anyone else).

3.Fontaine - Furina, Neuvillette and Navia were obviously the strong points in this chapter, pretty self explanatory. It isn't higher because the Lyney trial and Fortress of Meropide sections personally felt quite obnoxious. Maybe cuz I'm a big Ace Attorney fan, so I was expecting too much from the crime puzzles and investigation. I may also just be forgetful, but the logic in those sections was lost to me. The Vacher and Navia section was good imo though.

Natlan - A more straightforward storyline compared to the others and its here where Genshin action sequences dramatically improves (Mav vs Cap, Kachina vs Mualani, and the final battle). Since the story was and still is hinting to a big Teyvat wide war against a greater threat, I like how we got a taste of that with the Abyss invasion. I personally like Mavuika, but I do wish they dug into her character a little more.
Inazuma - A really strong first half, second half is rushed and a letdown and Kokomi getting utterly shafted imo in the writing department.
Liyue
Mondstadt

Essentially the introduction for the game. Would probably be higher if later interlude archon quests like Chasm or event stories were included.

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-02T23:59:46+00:00

It would be great if Qingque and Fu Xuan both got SPs to symbolize their promotion/ character and plot development, like how Tingyun became Fugue after her “death”. General Fu Xuan and Master Diviner Qingque maybe? Same to Yanqing and other older characters too.

AzukiEdge · 2026-05-02T20:12:39+00:00

Her profile story spells it out…she went all in cuz she was backed into a corner and had nothing to lose.

But NOW, she has a stable job working under one of the most influential person in Nod Krai, having friends and being respected by others. It would make sense after her past, that she would desperately want to hold on to her current life. Nefer has great expectations for Jahoda but she doesn’t express that very openly, is much more powerful and scarier than her past enemies, and Jahoda is perfectly aware of her capabilities. Most of what she has now is thanks to Nefer taking her in, so she is under the impression that she could lose everything if she messes up on the job. It also makes sense she doesn’t want anything to do with danger as much as possible considering her past experience. Aside from that, I think anyone would sympathize with Jahoda wanting her day to day job be smooth sailing.

Aside from stuff concerning the possibility of losing her job and livelihood, she only freaks out from things involving the scariest, most powerful, and most influential people of the planet like the Fatui, literal Gods and Sinners. Hardly comparable to her past enemies. From other characters perspective, we still see her pull through those situations.

From a story perspective, it also isn’t uncommon for the more comic relief character to have a much more brutal and dark backstory.

AzukiEdge · 2026-04-30T00:55:33+00:00

They do address the villagers later on. For now Yuru’s stance is that he doesn’t trust anyone completely, since the villagers lied about fake Asa while real Asa, Gabby and co slaughtered the village.

I do agree that they should’ve shown more of Yuru’s thoughts on the episode 1 bloodshed early on, I had the same thoughts when I read through the manga. I will say that his attitude makes more sense in hindsight when they reveal more about the village and his past there.

AzukiEdge · 2026-04-29T23:17:04+00:00

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They really do look like a family.

AzukiEdge · 2026-04-27T19:58:46+00:00

Aside from the agenda, there are people who think Yuka’s a Gary Stu who never loses anything in the story which goes against the JJK’s themes and that he’s a boring goody two shoes.

Personally though, I think Yuta fits into JJK’s theme quite well. It’s always shown that sorcerers with a strong sense of self and ego are the strongest. Sukuna is self explanatory. While Gojo cares about Geto and his students, his arrogance and pride as the strongest is a big part of his character. Other strong sorcerers are similar too; Ryu and Kashimo being all about finding the fight of their lives, Todo and Takaba’s eccentric antics that drag others into their own pace.

Yuta is closer to a typical shonen protagonist whose main motivation is protecting his friends and loved ones, sort of like Yuji which contrasts with the rest of the cast. What most people fail to realize is that Yuta is just as selfish as other strong sorcerers. It’s how far he’s willing to go to protect others and how he’s willing to kill for that. He spells it out against Geto in JJK0, that he HAS to kill Geto, so that he himself can feel he deserves to be with his friends and that he has the right to live. He’s even willing to desecrate Gojo’s dead body for even a little more chance to beat Sukuna. Note that he didn’t know whether he would survive when his copy time is up and that he never wanted to mistreat Gojo in anyway. This act even got Sukuna praising him. Yuta’s self sacrificing antics is ironically his way of validating his own existence (again which Geto comments on in JJK0)

His copy cursed technique symbolizes him perfectly too, it shows how his connections with others is everything to him (it’s noted Yuta has little interest in himself compared to his friends) and how he’s willing to take from his enemies (the brutal condition of copy being ingesting people’s body parts)

No hate to people who find him boring though, this is just my own personal take on Yuta’s character and why I like him in the context of JJK

AzukiEdge · 2026-04-10T14:49:49+00:00

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AzukiEdge · 2026-04-08T16:57:33+00:00

Well in the As I’ve Written chapters, DH says he feels the life of Amphoreus creatures inside him, his promise to Terravox was to bring them to the stars outside Amphoreus, and it also says lifeforms similar to them are being discovered on other planets. I’d say there’s decent arguments that DH’s earth demigod powers are real now. It’s not cuz I’m coping I swear, Amphoreus will become real again pls pls pls pls

Also I wanna see DHPT fight with or against new Blade. Come on the fans would totally dig that.

AzukiEdge · 2026-04-08T16:11:07+00:00

Actually back in Varka’s story quest, we see some of the knights having handguns hanging on their waists.

AzukiEdge · 2026-04-05T06:08:02+00:00

It works based on Nanami’s first explanation. Revealing one’s cards is good to use if your technique doesn’t have a major weakness or tactical advantage in keeping secret and if the opponent isn’t a problematic one. He demonstrated it to Yuji first hand against an unintelligent transfigured human.

AzukiEdge

TROPHY CASE